


Keep Your Eyes Ahead

by hisen



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Arranged Marriage, Clan Politics, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Levirate Marriage, Marriage Contracts, Misunderstandings, Non-Graphic Violence, Pining, Pre-Canon, Slow Burn, Travel, bonding over seals, mistaken groom identity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-29
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:08:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24429253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hisen/pseuds/hisen
Summary: When Uzumaki Mito's marriage was arranged, she expected a mundane journey to the Senju. A big formal wedding. A political union to one of the Senju's great sons. Respect from her future husband, but not love.She did not expect a bounty on her head, or to mistakenly fall in love with the wrong brother.
Relationships: Senju Hashirama/Uzumaki Mito, Senju Tobirama/Uzumaki Mito
Comments: 22
Kudos: 90
Collections: Exchange no Jutsu 2020





	Keep Your Eyes Ahead

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fencesit](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fencesit/gifts).



> There's very minor Hashirama/Madara in this story that I haven't tagged because it is very, very minor, and one canonical character death (along with a number of OCs). Otherwise I think that's it! Enjoy.

It was time to say goodbye. 

The thrum of conversation dipped, as Mito rose from her seat, then fell into a hush as heads turned to look at her. Mito looked around the hall, plain and well loved, decorated with banners and the Uzumaki crest carved into the wooden panels. She had been here so many times, attended so many events in this hall. The weddings stuck out in her memory tonight. The novelty of strangers visiting them, the incredible feasts, the beautiful clothes. She watched the brides pass by, in their white kimonos, the tsunokakushi on their heads and knew that one day, it would be her. Fascinating, but strange and frightening too. 

It had finally come. Not that night, but soon, she too would be a bride. It was the last night she'd be surrounded by family and friends. The next day she would be in the company of strangers, travelling to be married into a new family. Her eyes fell on her family, who looked back at her with anticipation, curiosity. One of their most skilled daughters, an exceptional talent even in such a great clan. Mito knew her talent marked her for leaving, that she would make a match for the best interests of the clan. Her duty would be to serve, to do her duty and maintain that union to strengthen both clans. She knew how to speak, had opened feasts on the behalf of her parents before, but tonight a lump stuck in her throat.

This was the last time she would see her family, gathered together like this in their hall. After tonight, she would probably never see them again. Ninja lives were short, even in a long-lived clan, and she would not be able to come back. Children, her husband, her new clan, it would all prevent her from coming back.

She glanced over to the one member of her new clan present, who watched her from his seat. His expression was as blank as it had been all night. She hadn't seen a single emotion pass on it. They were not introduced, but they didn't need to be for Mito to know who he was. He was the only stranger present and he stood out like a sore thumb among them. Senju Tobirama. The blankness seemed like a challenge, a question. It pushed her to speak into the silence, as she turned her face away from him to her family.

"Tonight is the last night here as your daughter. Tomorrow, I will leave to join our cousins, but I will take you all with me in my heart to my new life. I will always remember my childhood home, and your love and kindness. I will do everything I can to serve both the Uzumaki and Senju. I hope you will remember me when I am gone, like I will remember you, and that you will pray for good fortune for both clans." With a bow she finished, and her clan exploded into applause and cheering. As she sat down, satisfied that she'd managed to get her feelings across to the family she loved, she glanced at Tobirama again. 

His indifference was even more striking against the gregarious behaviour of the Uzumakis. Not even a hint of a smile, or of disapproval or anything else. Was the whole Senju clan like this? Even with her natural reserve, something that stuck out against the lively nature of her clan, she could at least smile. With her bride price agreed and the marriage contract exchanged, there was no going back, but Mito wondered if she'd be able to fit in with the Senju. 

* * *

Mito watched as the last items on the wagon for the dowry were delicately put on top of the other scrolls, books and other gifts with dread. The boys scrambled up the wagon with the red cloth to be tied over it carefully with white cord, an honourable gift of things, not money after her bride price. It looked magnificent, fitting for her position. It was a sign that she really was going, and that she would not return to her clan after this journey. 

The dowry wasn't travelling with her. Tobirama needed to return quickly to his clan, couldn't leave it for the time it'd take to accompany such a slow convoy. It would be guarded by her clan with their lives, the gifts were worth even more than she was. Mito had hoped she could travel with them, have her family as well as strangers in her bridal procession, but it would have been an offence to her honour to travel to her wedding without a Senju son accompanying her. 

A gust of wind rustled her hair, and she turned to find Tobirama behind her. His expression as still as a lake with no wind to blow on it. She hadn't heard him approach, silent even for a ninja. He bowed to her, and she returned it. Mito didn't have any excuse to wait any longer. She said goodbye to her parents in private, to allow for the tears and sadness that still weighed heavily on her heart. She could feel their eyes watching her from the windows, but didn't allow herself to look. The time to cry was over. It was time for them to leave. Once Tobirama's guard arrived, of course, since it was just him alone. 

"I am ready to depart once your guards arrive." 

"Guards? I didn't bring guards. Let's go." 

"You don't have any guards?" Tobirama raised his eyebrows, as if he expected her to comply, as if she didn't realise that it was an insult to her honour to have no guard. "I'm a woman marrying into your family. It's expected for you not to come alone without any kinsmen, it's an insult to me. Don't you care about your reputation? About my reputation?" Mito sighed. She could see her words bouncing off him, could see that concerns about her honour wasn't how to play her complaint. Her relatives had said he was practical, and really, the practical problem of just the two of them travelling concerned her more than her reputation. 

"Beside, we're travelling far. Are you planning to be on guard the whole time alone, with nobody to swap with? Isn't that a recipe for trouble?" 

"I don't need guards. If we encounter a situation that's too much for me, we'll run. I'm not a fool, being alive matters more than honour. There's few enemies we'll encounter that could best me, and most of them are fighting my brother right now. Beside, I was told you could handle yourself too. A delicate flower will wilt in our family." The delicate flower comment cut her pride. Mito might not be as battle hardened as the Senju brothers, but she could fight, already had held her own in battle. He looked cool, like a man not used to being argued with, and it raised her ire, made her feel rash. She pronounced her immediate judgement of him in a way she usually wouldn't dream of. 

"You're arrogant." Tobirama didn't even blink at her comment.

"No. I'm aware of my skills, but also of my limits. I apologise for slighting your honour, however. My brother wanted to accompany you too, but unfortunately the Uchiha stopped that." She didn't miss the distaste on his voice at that name, though his face showed little. The infamous rivals to the Senju she already knew through reputation, though she had never encountered any of them in person. It sounded like it was much like she'd heard. "There was no disrespect intended." It was hard to tell how sincere his apology was, with the same flat tone as he used before. With such a long journey ahead of them, Mito decided to accept it on surface value. It was an apology. Time would show her how sincere it was, or not.

"I understand." She still felt he was foolish for not bringing guards with him, but Mito could understand war tearing up their original plans. There weren't enough Uzumakis to guard the dowry, her and the rest of the clan, so it would have to be the two of them. At least she was marrying Tobirama. It was unconventional to be escorted by him alone, but it'd be even worse if she wasn't marrying him. Mito would just have to prove her worth along the way.

* * *

"Ah." It was the first word that passed between them for an hour, and it made Mito pause. Tobirama held out his arm to stop her, and she stopped, listened to the forest around them. At first she only heard the wind, but she couldn't hear the birds she would have expected, at this time of year, this deep in the forest. A suspicious sign that put her on alert. An ambush ahead? Tobirama crouched down, pressed two fingers to the ground and frowned, before standing up. 

"Bandits. About five of them. Stay here." She didn't have time to respond, a flicker and he was gone. Within seconds she heard the thump of bodies, the slice of metal, but no cries or screams. He'd been too fast for them. She waited, to see if there was someone he'd missed, a battle starting, but there was silence. She approached the thicket of trees, and found Tobirama surrounded by the now deceased bandits. He stepped back from them, let out a "tsk" when they made eye contact. "I told you to stay there. They might be booty-trapped." 

He didn't have a single mark on him. Not even the slightest speck of blood. His silver hair and blue clothes were as immaculate as when they departed. 

"You're fast." Mito was impressed, of course, but she was also a little afraid. She knew what powerful, fast shinobi looked like, but Tobirama was something else. No wonder he was so sure of himself when she asked him about the guards. He knew exactly how exceptional he was. It seemed almost inhuman to be that fast, and he was a stranger to her. Could she trust him? 

"Let me show you something." The words interrupted her thoughts, and she stepped back as he moved closer to her, without thinking. "Good idea, you don't want to be too close for this." She didn't recognise the signs he used, but she did recognise the clones that popped into existence. A technique she already knew, that she used since she was a child, not something that impressive. Then she took a closer look at the clones. No, it was different, clones with their own chakra and presence. 

"You split out your chakra into them?" 

"You noticed. Good. I use them for things like this." The clones fanned out, checked over the bodies, examined their belongings. "Some enemies rig their traps only to go off if it detects a person. These clones count. Nobody's yet survived seeing them, so nobody can work around it. For now. I plan to keep it secret for as long as possible." The words reassured her, in that she didn't count as someone who couldn't be trusted to keep a secret, or try to find a way to work around it. Tobirama, despite his indifference, at least didn't consider her an enemy. 

"Did you invent this? You need a lot of chakra for it to work." She could sense the dip in his own chakra reserve, weakened by being split across multiple bodies. Not a technique for everyone, but for those with enough chakra, useful.

"Yes." There was a hint of pride in that. "I call them shadow clones." Mito watched them pass as they returned to Tobirama, resisted the urge to touch one, to see just how solid they were. They seemed real as they passed, before they vanished into puffs of smoke. Didn't they need to report back before he dismissed them?

"Nothing of interest on them. We should go." It clicked, he didn't need them to report back to him.

"You get their memories too. Are you using them for scouting too? Is that why you didn't bring guards?" Tobirama looked at her sharply, as if trying to assess why she was interested. 

"Why are you asking?" Not hostile, but wary. A sign he was reconsidering his decision to talk to her about it as soon as she started to ask serious questions instead of just praising it. It made Mito realise that she was as much of a stranger to him as he was to her. Tobirama didn't know anything about her, beyond her bride price and whatever selling points her parents shared. He didn't know about her interest in new jutsus and figuring them out. Even with jutsus that weren't her truest passion, seals. 

"Because it's interesting. Do you think you could teach me? I have enough chakra." 

"You do. Wherever you could learn it, however, is a different matter." He didn't sound keen to teach her, but it wasn't a no. Obviously her answer was enough to stop his concerns she was probing him for weak spots. Still, did he think she couldn't do it? It might take time, but she was sure she could learn.

"What was it? Like this?" She copied his hand seal, didn't channel the chakra right to create her own clone yet, but it was enough. Enough to show she was capable, that she'd been paying attention to Tobirama. 

"Like that. Hmm." Tobirama paused, crossed his arms and looked off to the side, considering it. "There's more to it than that, it's not easy either." He paused again, Mito wondered what he was thinking of. Hard to tell when she didn't know him, and when so little showed on his face. "But, it'd be useful for you to know, so I'll teach you. But not now." The agreement was enough, something she'd hold him to later. He was exceptional, but she was no slouch, and Mito would prove it.

* * *

Mito practised in her head as they travelled. When they stopped for the night, Tobirama had explained the technique, but hadn't offered any assistance while she was practising. It felt like a test, to try to pick up a jutsu that so far nobody but Tobirama had mastered. His brother had his own version, preferred to use that, and the others had failed. Mito was determined that she could do it, only stopped practising when Tobirama demanded she go to bed so they could start travelling at dawn. 

Part of the problem, she thought as they walked, was that Tobirama was still refining it. It wasn't a finished jutsu, it had rough edges that didn't stop it working for him, but stopped anyone else from learning it. If she could smooth them off, make the use of chakra more efficient, it might work for someone who wasn't a sensor like him. How was he using that ability in the jutsu? 

"Tobirama-" She cut herself off as she heard a sound like distant footsteps. The rustle of leaves, moved by someone. It could be innocent, but it could also be an ambush. Tobirama turned to look at the source of the noise, gestured for her to wait and vanished in a flash. 

This time the battle wasn't over in a moment. She heard multiple people moving, the swish of swords and crunch as they met against resistance. Despite the warning, Mito moved up to the treetops to assess what was going on. From up there, she could see there were twenty men, better organised and much tougher than the no-name bandits that tried to ambush them last time. Several of them were already scattered on the ground, dead, but Tobirama's speed alone wasn't enough to take them all down. They knew enough to block him off, stop him from going for the easy kill, force him to take them on one-on-one, with the other men at his back.

She'd have to intervene. The chakra gathered in her palm, warming up as she considered the best seal she could use. Something sticky, but not so sticky it'd trap Tobirama too. She identified his chakra, make it the exception in the gathering seal in her hands. Some of the attackers felt her gathering chakra and looked up, just enough of a distraction for Tobirama to finish them. 

With a crunch and a groan, the last man fell. 

"What did I say?" Mito cut off her chakra, the seal vanishing from her hands before looking down at Tobirama, surrounded by bodies and looking at her with annoyance. "I said 'stay there', not 'go up into the trees and draw attention to yourself'." 

"It distracted them."

"And could have got you killed. I can provide my own distractions." Tobirama gestured for her to come down and with a sigh, she did. 

"If you let me fight with you, you'll find me useful." 

"You can't even follow a simple command, how can I trust you on a battlefield?" Tobirama shook his head as he looked away from her, summoned up more clones to check on the bodies. 

"I can fight. Isn't a warrior what your clan wants?" 

"Yes, later, but you know what it needs for now? A bride that's alive. You don't have enough experience to be let loose like you want to be, and I don't have the time to train you." 

"I'm not a child, I've fought in battle before." 

"Excuse me." One of the clones interrupted them, and they looked over to it. It got up from the body it was searching, a piece of paper in hand, and handed it to Tobirama. He read it quickly, a frown growing on his face as he did. 

"I see. Thank you." The clone nodded, disappeared in a puff of smoke. "Come take a look at this." Mito's curiosity grew, wondering what could cause Tobirama to shift from lecturing her to including her, as she came up to him and took the paper from his hands. 

Her face looked back at her from the paper. A crude line drawing, her eyes not quite right, the nose off, but still enough to identify her. The surprise of seeing herself turned to dread as she read the words under it. 

"Reward for the successful capture of Uzumaki Mito." The amount of money offered made her eyes widen. It was a huge sum. "They're trying to kill me?" 

"No. Look closer." She looked again, saw the words after her name: _must be brought in alive, no reward if she dies_. It made her look at Tobirama, alarmed by the bounty on her even if they didn't want her dead. "They must have heard you were marrying into the Senju and want to kidnap you to marry you into their clan instead." Mito knew the stories of brides being kidnapped and forced to marry against their will by bandits. To realise it could happen to her sent a shiver down her spine. Since she had to marry, she'd rather it was to the Senju, who at least respected her family enough to do it properly. 

"Up till now, you were protected by your clan, and once you arrive, you'll be protected by us. This is when you're most vulnerable." She glanced around, caught the eye of another clone that nodded, to confirm that Tobirama was right, before it vanished into a puff of smoke too. 

"What will we do?"

"We'll need to be careful, but they will only try to kill me, not you. So you must follow my orders, stand back and let me protect you." 

"I'm not defenceless! Let me help. I won't be a dead weight. I might be a bride but I'm still a ninja, and I wasn't raised to let others fight on my behalf while I do nothing." Her fingers dug into the paper, clutching it tighter. It wasn't just pride, she knew that such a high bounty would draw all kinds of villains to them. Tobirama was an extraordinary ninja, but he was still one man. She could help him, increase their odds of survival together. The silence grew as the remaining clones came back, turned in more copies of the bounty notice to Tobirama before vanishing. 

"I appreciate your spirit, but your heart is ruling your head. Think of it this way. There are two of us, and only one of us has led in a war, not in the skirmishes the Uzumaki get into. If we make a single mistake in our tactics, we'll die, or in your case, end up a captive wife in a clan holding you hostage for the rest of your life. I think you'll find that a worse fate than death, and much worse than having to follow my orders." Tobirama tilted his head, as if daring her to challenge him despite his words. So she did. 

"What if you make a mistake?"

"Then I'll die for it, just like in any other battle. If I don't have to worry about you going off track and doing your own thing, I'm much less likely to." 

"So you'll put the weight of your mistakes onto me." That wasn't fair, weren't leaders supposed to carry the consequences of their mistakes as their own? Not place them on their team. Well, good leaders did, anyway, which Tobirama saw himself as from his boasts of leading in war. 

"No, they're still mine. But you must understand, I don't care if you hate me for this. My goal is to get you home safely, not to make you like me. I will do anything to achieve my goal. You understand me?" The ruthlessness stunned Mito for a moment. She understood the pragmatism of it, that her survival was what mattered, but the dismissal of her feelings by the man she was going to marry boded ill. It might be exceptional circumstances now, but what about later? Would Tobirama care so little about her feelings once she was his wife, in the everyday things that made up married life? She hadn't seen any sign he had any sensitive feelings, even in less pressurised circumstances. He was like a block of ice. 

The thought of being married to someone who cared so little about her make her spirit sink, tangled up with her fear from the bounty on her head. She didn't expect a love match, but she had hoped for a husband who could at least respect her feelings. Tobirama tapped his fingers against his arm guards, a reminder that she'd been asked a question and he was expecting an answer.

"Yes, I understand you." She didn't like what it said for her future, but she understood it.

* * *

The pace was relentless. Every mercenary and bandit in the land seemed to find the bounty notice at the same time as them and were now hunting them down. Individually, none of them were a match for Tobirama, but their sheer number was started to overwhelm him. After their latest battle, he was flagging. Tobirama's reticent and controlled nature meant she had to watch him closely, to see any change, any flicker of emotion. With his refusal to let her do anything, and no energy to teach her more about the shadow clones, she had little else to occupy herself. After days of such close observation, she was starting to learn how to read him. Mito wasn't an expert on him, not yet, but she could see the tiredness he was trying so hard to hold back. 

"We can't keep this up. You have to let me do something." Tobirama shook his head, even as he stayed in his crouch, trying to compose himself. He hadn't even set up his clones to check the bodies. She could feel his chakra was too low for it. 

"No. I've got it under control." She crouched down next to him, met his eyes. They locked, stared at each other in a battle of wills. The intensity of his expressions was less than usual, didn't make Mito back down like it usually did. Instead, Tobirama looked away first, too tired to keep up the struggle. 

"Please. You have to let me help you." Her voice was beseeching, not even asking him to let her fight, just to let her assist him. Tobirama closed his eyes and shook his head. 

"No. I'm protecting you." 

"I thought you said you didn't suffer from foolish honour when it stopped your survival." She aimed the words to stir him up, and it worked enough to force him slowly back up onto his feet.

"I don't." He flagged, stumbled for a moment and Mito caught him, moving her arm to hold onto him. He felt slight, despite his armour and his strength. Despite how thickheaded Tobirama was acting, she felt a wave of sympathy for him and wanted him to rest. There must be some way they could take a break safely, hidden from her would-be kidnappers. Tobirama pushed her off him, gently but firmly, and she moved back. She'd overstepped his boundaries. Tobirama wasn't one for casual touches. It was the first time they'd made any sort of physical touch, strange to consider when they were getting married, but understandable. They weren't married yet after all.

"There must be something we can do. Ah! Do you have any kinsmen near here?" 

"Kinsmen?" Tobirama sounded confused, and tired. It must be getting to him if he was struggling to grasp what she meant, the sharpness of his mind dulled by exhaustion. She'd never been in a position to need to explain to him before. 

"If they're your kinsmen, they're honour-bound to help you. I don't think there's anyone I'm related to here, we're too far in-land. We tend to stick to the coast." 

"Oh. Hmm." Tobirama had to think about it, swaying slightly as he did. He must have not noticed he was doing it, he'd never let it happen if he had. It made Mito feel protective, for all that he treated her like a burden to be carried to a goal. "There's a distant cousin of ours who lives nearby, I've stayed there before. But we shouldn't stop, it'll give them a chance to catch up with us." Mito could see how exhausted he was, and it seemed like a poor excuse not to stop. If Tobirama collapsed, they'd catch up with them anyway. They'd have a better chance if he'd rested. 

"You're exhausted."

"I'll be fine." Appealing to his self-preservation didn't work, so Mito switched tactic. It seemed unlikely it'd work, considering how little he said he cared about if she liked him, but maybe if it was something to do for her sake instead of his, he might agree. 

"I'm tired. I want to stop." 

"You're tired?" His voice went up, an uncharacteristic loss of control, before he shut his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose to get his control back again. "How are you tired?"

"I am tired. I want to stop. I'm not going any further than to this house. I want a bath and to sleep indoors." She didn't stamp her feet but she considered it. Until now she'd acted reasonably, wanted to work with him equally as a fellow ninja. If he was going to treat her like a spoiled princess who couldn't handle anything herself, then she might as well play at being one for his own good. Even if it made him look at her with widened eyes. Whatever he had expected from Mito, it wasn't this. 

"You're kidding." 

"No. I'm not going anywhere else." She crossed her arms, challenged him to stop her. She didn't demonstrate it often, felt that acting calmly, working together with others was better, but she had that Uzumaki stubbornness in her too. Unlike the spoilt princess act, it was genuine. Tobirama's eyes flicked up and down her, as if assessing if he could carry her off when she was acting like this, before letting out a sigh. 

"I see you won't be moved. I think you're being foolish, but I know when someone's heart has completely won out over their head. We'll go to their house." 

They turned towards the house, and walked. Tobirama forced himself on through his fatigue, and it made Mito wonder if he'd slept at all while they were travelling. Even when she'd woken up unexpectedly in the night, he was still awake. Each time he noticed her waking up and told her to go back to sleep, he was keeping guard. Had he slept at all? Mito walked closer to him than she had before to keep an eye on him, close enough for her sleeve to brush against his arm.

Tobirama glanced over at her. 

"You don't need to watch me. I'm fine." Was it arrogance, thinking he was above being worried about? Or was it modesty, not wanting to be worried over? It was hard to tell. Despite his words, she didn't move back, and he didn't ask again. She might have even been able to take his hand, if she'd wanted to, without any protest. 

* * *

The cousin was thrilled to see Tobirama, couldn't praise him enough as they were pushed into the house. They were introduced to the children, the servants, the wife, before he finally turned to Mito. The children scattered, the servants returned to their duties. 

"And you must be the bride! We heard that marriage was on the cards, when we heard it was an Uzumaki bride we thought it must be fortune smiling on our clan. We're honoured to have you stay with us." Mito smiled politely, bowed in response to their praise.

"I'm grateful for letting us stay with you. I'm sorry to impose on you." 

"Of course, we'd never let family pass by without offering our assistance." 

"I want us to share a room." Tobirama cut into the conversation without any further politeness. The sudden demand chilled the conversation. Mito startled at it, looked up at him but his face was blank. It wasn't like his usual careful, controlled expression, which she was starting to realise was just how he tended to look. It was a blank expression that was hiding something. 

"You wish to share a room with her?" The cousin sounded confused, and his wife looked away, face red with embarrassment. Tobirama must have known how unconventional it was to demand it. She could understand the need to protect her, but they were still only engaged. 

"Yes." No hesitation, not a slightest hint of embarrassment.

"It's a little..." The cousin trailed off, and Mito felt her own cheeks going red. She knew what the cousin was pushing for. He wanted Tobirama to realise it'd be inappropriate to let him share a room with a woman of her status without being married in someone else's house, even an esteemed relative like himself, without forcing him to say it. A grasp of social niceties which Tobirama continued to ignore, staring at him until he was forced to say it. 

"I apologise, but it'd be deeply inappropriate for me to allow it. I realise you are higher rank than me, but you are my guest in my house. I can't let you damage a lady's honour like that under my roof." The cousin looked away, going red. Tobirama remained impassive, the only person not embarrassed by his demand. 

"I need to guard her." 

"You could sleep outside her room." Mito didn't like that development, it would undermine the whole point of stopping here if it led to Tobirama sleeping outside her room in the corridor. She had no doubt he would, if there was no other choice, but she wanted him to rest. 

"Ah, what about that room?" The wife interrupted with a burst of enthusiasm.

"That room? Oh, that one! Yes, excellent idea." The cousin nodded. "I won't let you share a room, but I can give you something that'll stop your worries. Obviously, we won't let any harm come to her, but I know how you are!" He called for a servant to take them to the rooms, and the maid reappeared, led them off quietly. 

Mito let out a breath of relief as they left the sight of the cousins, relieved to be away from them. They seemed nice, but their enthusiasm was a bit much, especially after such a quiet journey. She hadn't realised how accustomed she'd become to the quiet between her and Tobirama. The maid guided them to her room, slid the door open for them with care. 

"Oh!" From the modest outside of the house, she hadn't expected a room this fancy. All the paper on the walls was new, no patches of fixed damage on them. The tatami was in perfect condition, the table in the centre of the room carved out of the finest wood. The cushions, all the furnishings, were immaculate. The veranda looked out onto the central garden, the trees framing the view and she heard the thunk of the deer-scarer as she walked towards the open doors to the outside. This must be the special room, for the most important guests. 

"Over here, sir." The maid knelt down in front of a set of cupboards, decorated with cranes, and opened it as Tobirama joined her. His steps were so light against the tatami, she only noticed that he had moved when he was right there. 

"Ah. This goes to the room I'm staying in?"

"Yes sir. I'll unlock the hatch for you." She heard the click of the lock, the creak of the hinge as the hatch opened. 

"No underfloor access?" 

"No sir, it's blocked off." 

"I see. Mito, come see this." Until now she'd been looking at the garden, even as she listened closely to their conversation. She joined them, crouching down behind the maid to look. Behind the hatch was a small tunnel, just big enough for one person to crawl through. She couldn't see the end of it, blocked off in the dark. 

"A secret passage." 

"It connects your two rooms. The master trusts in your honour not to misuse it." The maid paused, and Mito got up. "I think the Senju are very respectable, sir. They're honest in their deeds."

"Hmm. Take me to my room." Mito felt that she'd missed something, even as she looked to see what it was. The moment had passed. Tobirama shut the cupboard, but not the hatch as the maid got up and went into the corridor. "Mito, I trust you'll be comfortable here. If you need me, don't hesitate to call." He eased up back onto his feet, slowly enough to suggest how tired he was, when she knew how fast he normally moved. Even the shadows under his eyes looked darker when they were away from the eyes of their host.

"Please try to get some rest. I'll be fine here, really." Tobirama bowed, followed the maid out of the room before giving one last look back. She didn't miss the seriousness in his eyes, even with the tiredness in them too. "If I need you, I'll call. Please sleep." She smiled, both to reassure him and to show her gratitude. 

He turned and left with the maid. For the first time since she'd left home, Mito was alone.

* * *

The deer-scarer tipped again, the thunk of the bamboo against the stone the only interruption to the silence of the house. Mito got up from the table, and took one last look at the garden. The sun had set, night was drawing in. She'd taken dinner alone in her room, after her bath and had only seen the maid since Tobirama left her. She stepped forward to close the sliding doors to the outside, only to pause. The garden looked so peaceful. It was such a contrast to the constant hounding on their way here and would face again once they left. It seemed like it had all happened in another world. 

The quiet unnerved her. She was used to quiet, she wasn't someone who talked just to hear herself, but this was different. She was alone in it, in a situation that for all the comforts her hosts provided for her, was still dangerous. The pursuit of her hadn't stopped while they were here, the bandits would be waiting for their departure. They might not even wait until then. 

Mito leaned out of the room, looked down to the doors for Tobirama's room. They were shut and no light leaked out from under them. The sight reassured her that he was resting, like she'd wanted, but it was disappointing too. What had she expected? To look for him and find him looking back at her? 

It was foolish. She rebuked herself as she moved back into the room and shut the doors. She was used to Tobirama being there whenever she looked, but that wouldn't be the case forever. Even once they were married, he was important in the Senju, he would be going away on missions to serve his clan. He wouldn't always be there. That thought had even once been a comfort after he told her that her feelings didn't matter to him. Now that he wasn't there with her, she missed him. The familiarity and reassurance of his presence, even if she'd thought he was so quiet that it was like being alone. It wasn't.

Enough. She needed to sleep, ready for their inevitable early departure tomorrow. The cousin expected them to stay for breakfast, but knowing how Tobirama liked to travel as soon as light broke, Mito knew better. He would willing fail to honour custom to give them a few hours more of daylight to travel in. Even if he disregarded her feelings to get them home safely, she was starting to realise it wasn't personal to her. He really was that pragmatic, would weight up niceties against his goals and discard them if he felt it necessary. 

She packed the few things she'd unpacked, ready to go at a moment's notice, before blowing out the candles and climbing into her bed. The futon was comfortable, the pillow felt new, but Mito turned and tossed in it. It felt strange to be sleeping indoors, the give of the bamboo below her instead of hard ground. Strange to be trying to sleep without being able to hear someone else's breathing, a steady rhythm to lull her. The things she hadn't considered when sleeping outside about their strange journey, so exhausted from travelling that no discomfort could stop her. The strange silence of her room, and the house. 

The noise woke Mito up suddenly, as if someone had dropped an object behind her head. She startled, found herself thrown awake from a sleep she hadn't realised she was falling into. The night was truly dark now, the hour late, and the house was still silent. She strained to listen, really listen, and she heard it. A creak on the veranda. The footstep was suspicious in its lightness, the feet of someone trying not to be heard. Then another, further away from her room. It sounded like it was near Tobirama's room. She held her breath, trying to hear more, focusing her ears to the quietest sounds. The house creaked in the wind, disguising any noise made by a human, before she heard it. The soft inhale and exhale of several people. 

It was enough to confirm her worst fears. She didn't risk using her chakra to check further. If there were assassins, the last thing she wanted to do was alert them to the fact they'd woken her up. If it was enough to wake her, she was sure Tobirama would have noticed too. 

But, what if he hadn't? She thought of how exhausted he'd been earlier, how he'd faltered in such an uncharacteristic way. What if he was too deeply asleep, after so long on the road not sleeping, to hear them? She wouldn't leave him alone to fight them, even if he'd been at full alertness, despite how much it'd infuriate him. She would never leave him to the wolves when he was vulnerable.

With light steps, she slid out of the futon and armed herself. Mito blinked repeatedly, adjusting her eyes to the darkness, until she could see the cupboard with the secret passage in it. If it let Tobirama get into this room, then surely she could get to his room through it too. Her heart felt like it was jumping into her mouth as she delicately, slowly, slid back the cupboard door. The hatch was ready, still open. Her hands shook but she took a quiet breath, steadied herself. If Mito made too much noise, anything that could be picked up as a person and not the creaking of an old house, they'd strike. She had to give them the best chance possible.

As she crept into the passage, crawled along it, she tuned out the noise of her blood in her ears and listened, just like she'd been taught. Footsteps, then the very delicate, slow lift of the outside doors to slide them open. Mito paused at the end of the passage, letting her eyes adjust to the changing light. It was smaller than her room, and Tobirama had left the entrance to the secret passage open. He was sleeping right next to it. His face was turned away, his breathing slow. 

Mito couldn't tell if it was a feint, she'd never seen Tobirama asleep before. The door was still opening, the moonlight slowly seeping into the room, lighting it up. They were taking too long, were bound to wake him up. Maybe that was the plan. Mito held her breath as they stepped into the room. No bandits in search of easy money this time. These were trained ninjas, so silent that they didn't make a noise as they crept across the tatami. Whatever clan they were from, or had been kicked out from, they were skilled. 

One ninja broke out from the rest, leaped across to where Tobirama was sleeping. Time slowed down as Mito gathered her chakra in her palms, and went through the hand seals faster than she ever had before. Time was of the essence. 

The seals sped across the floor, so fast that the assassins didn't see them before they were trapped by them. She threw herself out of the passage, pulled herself up to her feet as they struggled against the seals. There was a flicker, and the shape in the futon was gone. She tightened their grip as they struggled, before Tobirama finished each of them off in seconds. Then she let the seals go, dropped their bodies to the floor.

"Ten outside." She wasn't sure if it was an observation or a request for action. She took it as the latter, and let chakra chains whip out of her. The chains grabbed them, wrapped them up so tight that they couldn't escape, and she pulled them into the room even as they struggled to get away. This time she didn't leave it to Tobirama to finish them, crushed them before he could reach them and dropped them on top of the others.

"Any more?" Tobirama reached down, pressed his fingers down against the ground to check. 

"No, that's all of them. Let's go." 

"Sir." The voice from the corner made her whip around, prepared herself to take down another ninja, but Tobirama threw out a hand. 

"Don't. She's with us." The maid appeared from the shadows, dipped her head to Mito before handing over her bag. 

"Your belongings, ma'am. Stay safe."

"Thank you for your help. I'll remember your family." Tobirama straightened up, dug into his bag before throwing a small envelope to her. Her payment. The maid bowed again. 

"Thank you, sir. It is always an honour to serve the Senju." 

"Give our apologises to your master. Mito, we must go." Mito slung her bag over her shoulder and followed Tobirama out into the garden. Tobirama started to scaled the wall, paused to offer Mito a hand that she didn't need to climb up and ignored. She knew how to scale a wall! When she reached the top, she glanced to Tobirama and saw that he didn't look annoyed by her refusal. In fact, he almost looked amused by it. Without words they turned and jumped down to the other side. They hit the ground running and didn't stop.

Mito's heart was pounding when they finally paused, deep in the forest, miles away from the house. Tobirama looking up at the night sky to calculate where they were. So many questions she wanted to ask, but not enough time. She picked the most important one.

"Do you believe me now? That I can help you?" Tobirama didn't reply straight away, stared at the stars for a while longer before looking down to her. 

"Yes. I see I underestimated your experience, and your seals." There was something he hadn't seen in his eyes before and it send pride through her when she realised what it was. He was impressed. "But, for now, we need to keep going. We can discuss it later." Mito agreed. They went on into the night.

* * *

The fire crackled next to Mito, lighting up the trees around them and making shadows dance on their trunks. She watched the flames and thought. It seemed indulgent, to light a fire at night when they were being hounded by kidnappers, but Tobirama had insisted, and she gave in to achieve her goal. 

Tobirama lay on the other side of the fire, curled up in his futon and fast asleep. Of course he'd objected to her proposal that night, their first night back outside after the disastrous night in the house. Mito had insisted, pointed out the holes in his logic. He had agreed that she could, and should, play an equal part in protecting them. He hadn't slept well in the house, and he'd been woken up by assassins trying to kill him. By the time they stopped for the night, fatigue was heavy on his face again. 

Mito refused to bend. It wasn't fair for Tobirama to wear himself down to nothing when he could share the burden. It was impractical to insist on doing it all himself, when he had a perfectly capable companion to help him. It was the practical thing to take turns sleeping. The logic was undeniable, too much for Tobirama to protest. His only demand had been the fire, so she didn't get cold while he slept. Without it, he refused. It was unexpectedly thoughtful, for all his pragmatism. A cloak wrapped around her would have achieved the same goal without so much light.

A small noise from the futon drew Mito's eyes, and she watched as he turned in the futon, to face the fire. Now that she'd seen him actually asleep, it was obvious to her he'd been faking it before that attack. There was a release of tension when he was truly asleep. He suddenly looked younger, not burdened with worries. It made Mito feel guilty that she'd added to them without being able to help, even if he had refused to accept it until now. His sense of responsibility, his standards for his own behaviour were much higher than she'd known at the start. Now she could help, and the thought made her smile as she looked away from him, to the leaves of the trees above them. 

"Mito." It was quiet, but it drew her attention straight away. 

"Yes?" Sleep was still heavy in the corners of his eyes, a sign of how tired he still was. She'd never seen him this uncontrolled before. It was a sign of trust that he was letting her. 

"Is it time to switch?"

"No, you've got a couple more hours. Go back to sleep." 

"Ah." He dropped his head back onto the pillow, eyes drifting shut, before they opened again. "Can you teach me your seals?" The question surprised her. From what she knew of the Senju, they weren't interested in seals. If they needed experts, they called on her clan. She never expected Tobirama to show an interest in learning them. 

"I can try. I'll need to know where you're starting from though." The idea of refusing didn't enter her mind. She loved sealing jutsus and the way they sparked through her, deeper than any other kind of jutsu. She'd expected to be alone in her passion among the Senju. If Tobirama was interested in them, it could be something they could share together. Mito waited for a follow-up question, maybe Tobirama explaining what he knew, but when she looked at him again, he was asleep. 

* * *

Mito expected Tobirama to ask her about the seals again. He didn't when they switched over during the night, or in the morning when she woke up. It wasn't until they'd finished travelling for the day, after managing to bypass the majority of the bandits waiting for them and encountering one small ambush, that Mito wondered if he would. It was almost like she'd imagined it, now she saw him fully awake and alert again. Tobirama wasn't the type to let things just slip out without any thought. 

The fire was ready for the night. Mito lit it with a small burst of flame, watched as the wood caught and crackled before stepping back carefully. Tobirama was seated next to the fire, absorbed in cleaning his kit. If he was doing that, there wasn't any immediate threat to them. Mito decided it'd be a good time to ask.

"So, you want to learn my seals?" Tobirama's head snapped up from the kit, his hands pausing in their cleaning. 

"How did you know?" 

"You asked me yesterday, when you woke up during the night." Tobirama looked back down at his kit, his expression a little more open even as he hid his face. He looked surprised. 

"Really? I thought I would remember that." He polished the metal of his kunai a little harder, as if to hide that he'd been caught out. 

"You were very tired. It was cute." Tobirama looked up again at that, raised an eyebrow at her. She stood by it. It had been cute, especially since he hadn't remembered it afterwards. 

"Cute."

"Yes, cute." 

"I'm not sure if I want to be called cute. I'm a grown man." It didn't sound like Tobirama was annoyed, more confused by being called cute. 

"I don't think age stops someone being cute. There was this cat my grandmother owned, and even when they were very old, they were still really cute."

"Are you comparing me to an elderly cat?" The comparison made Mito laugh. She knew it wasn't a joke, he was asking seriously, but it was funny! The cat was a little like Tobirama too, standoffish towards her until she'd been accepted. When she stopped laughing, she saw Tobirama was watching her, still confused but again, not annoyed. 

"No, no. Although it did take time for them to warm up to me. I was very excited to pet them, but I learnt to approach them on their own terms." She laughed again, realising that it was a ridiculous story to share in the circumstances. But Tobirama still didn't seem to think so, hadn't dismissed it like she expected.

"Interesting." 

"Ah, not really."

"No, I think so. I'm not good at that. Hashirama always says I should try looking at it from the other person's point of view more often. Although I really can't imagine what their point of view is." Tobirama sighed, pressed a finger against his forehead, as if the thought of them was enough to give him a headache. She wondered who he was talking about. It didn't seem like it was Hashirama. 

"How frustrating. Maybe they need to try too? It's no good if one person tries to see their point of view but the other one refuses to. You have to meet in the middle."

"Hmm." Despite the uncertain tone of his voice, Tobirama smiled. A small smile, but it struck Mito with force. She hadn't seen him smile before. "I think you might be right. You should talk to Hashirama about it." The smile vanished, but the warmth lingered on his face from it. He looked younger again. "To go back to your initial point, yes. I would like you to teach me your seals." Mito got up from the fireside with a smile, ready to go.

"Let's start now. Show me how you do your seals, and we can work from there." He put his kit down to get up too, stepped away from the fireside to give himself enough space to cast in.

"It's not as good as your technique, I warn you. I heard the Uzumaki sealing was excellent but you were far better than I ever imagined." It wasn't flattery, Tobirama said it like it was just a statement of fact, but Mito could feel her cheeks getting warm in response anyway. 

"Show me." She could feel the chakra gathering in him, but it felt strange. It wasn't channelled the way she'd been taught, the most efficient way to do it by far. His hand glowed, and then he slammed it to the ground. 

"Seal!" The seal raced out from his hand, glowing bright but the characters were in the wrong order for that jutsu. It'd work, but it'd waste chakra. It was like his whole technique, it worked but it lacked finesse. He rose from the ground, looked at the seal spread out around him. "So, your view?"

"You're self-taught." It was meant to be a question, but the evidence was too clear. Nobody who'd been trained in seals would have done it like that. Some scrolls he'd managed to get his hands on, some with copying errors, most likely, and nobody who knew enough to correct them. Nobody to guide him on those aspects they didn't write down, at least in the Uzumaki clan.

"Yes. Is it that obvious?" She nodded. 

"It's not wrong, but there's little things you can do to make it more efficient, and easier for yourself." Her gaze went from the seal to his face, and saw how intently he was listening. No anger at what she was saying, just a clear desire to improve. It made her smile again. "I'll start with the basics, but once you have those, it should be easy for you to apply them to what you already know." He nodded, eager to learn. She'd been wrong about his arrogance, he was right that he knew his strengths and weaknesses. 

Mito gestured for him to come over to where she was standing. The glow of the seal vanished, throwing them back into the flickering light of the fire alone. Tobirama walked around to join her, as a fox barked in the distance. 

"Hold your hands out, palms up." She watched as he did, nodded before moving behind him. She'd used this technique before, when she was asked by those struggling to channel their chakra properly, didn't think about what she was doing as her hands reached around from behind him. She couldn't see her hands from here, Tobirama much taller than her previous learners, and she was about to touch the palms of his hands when she froze. It suddenly struck her what she was doing, that Tobirama wasn't someone who she could just casually touch like that. When she had, he immediately backed away. He was a self-contained man, not someone who wanted to be touched. 

"It's fine. Go ahead." His voice was soft, and without even asking, Tobirama crouched down enough to let her see what she was doing. Her heart was loud in her ears, her cheeks hot again at being so close to him. She wasn't touching his back, not quite, but one step forward and she'd be pressed up against it. She spread her fingers out, hoped that they didn't tremble as she gently laid her hands on top of his palms. They were larger than her own, cool and dry, but she could feel the chakra ready to burst out from under the skin. Her hands felt too hot on top of his, as she tried to remember what she was going to say. All the previous lessons seemed so far away, routine and without anything deeper to them. Just wanting to help someone else. Just like this was, Mito told herself, before forcing herself to speak.

"So, you channel it differently from regular ninjutsu. It needs to be softer, more diffused." Suddenly, the words her mother used when she taught her how to channel chakra for sealing echoed in her head. 

'It's not something to be forced up quickly. You have to let it build up, let it envelop you. It's like love, you can't force it, it has to grow.' Once mastered, it was fast, something that she could draw up in an instance because it was always there, but it was true. The words stuck in her mouth. She knew it would help, they were wise words she'd shared before, but the idea of speaking of love to Tobirama made her shy. 

"Softer and more diffused." Tobirama's words, soft but probing, brought her back to what she was doing. It wasn't enough on its own, she needed to say it.

"My mother said 'it's not something to be forced up quickly. You have to let it build up, let it envelop you. It's like love, you can't force it, it has to grow'." The words hung heavily in the air, and she wondered if it was enough. For someone as controlled as Tobirama, it might not help. "Um, I should show you." Carefully, she gathered her chakra up in her palms, tried not to think about what she just said. Taking a deep breath, she cast her seal. She felt it rush up against the chakra in Tobirama's hands, bounce against it at force as the seal spilled out across the ground. 

"Like this?" Tobirama's voice was calm, controlled in a way that felt reassuring when she was flushed and blushing behind him. She hoped he didn't notice, didn't want to try to explain it to him. This time, she could feel the difference in his chakra gathering in his palms. It was softer, more diffused, just like she said. As he made his seal, his chakra didn't bounce straight off hers this time. It was softer, merged with hers in a way that made her shut her eyes. 

From the way he fought, she hadn't expected their chakra to resonant. Their styles were different, Tobirama's chakra sharp and angular while hers swirled like the whirlpools of her name. She didn't expect him to be able to mimic her chakra like this, enough to let it merge. Mito needed to step back, take a moment to breath and compose herself. She let go of his hands and turned to look at the trees surrounding them. 

"I think you've got it. Usually it takes longer than that, but you're a very capable student." She was sure it wasn't enough for Tobirama, that he'd want to do more, but she could do that without having to touch him. Without pressing their hands together. 

She heard Tobirama shuffle behind her, then his arms appeared around her. She inhaled sharply, froze as he lifted up her hands. She could feel his breath tickle against the top of her head, could feel her face going as red as her hair. 

"I just need to try one more time to make sure. It's like this?" His hands rested on the top of her hands, and she turned her hands over, pressing her palms against his without a word. She felt the chakra gathering against her palms, Tobirama's chakra trying to move like her own, felt the warmth of him behind her. The seal flashed out again, this time his chakra channelling it correctly.

"Yes, it's like that." She forced her voice out, torn between wanting him to stop and to continue. 

"Thank you." His arms withdrew from around her, the night air chilly against her skin as he retreated to the other side of the fire. For the rest of the night they said very little, beyond when Tobirama needed her guidance, and when Tobirama went to sleep, her "goodnight" came out agonisingly small. She didn't feel reserved because they had stepped over their previous boundaries. She felt incredibly shy, of someone she'd been travelling with for nearly two weeks now. 

Mito dared to think, as she watched the flames, of a what-if she'd never considered before. What if this turned out to be a love match after all, if only for her? She dismissed the thought. Every marriage was an uncertain proposition. The arranged ones at least were based on something solid, on status, money, politics. From what she'd learnt, it was better if love didn't come into it. Even if her heart wasn't so sure.

* * *

"I think there's less people following us than before. What do you think?" Tobirama looked over at the one member of the group they'd actually fought. He was the toughest of them, the group's ringleader, and as soon as he was defeated, the rest of the group scattered so fast that she'd been content to let them go. Tobirama hadn't liked it, but as Mito argued, they wouldn't be able to catch up with them even if they decided to try again. 

"They're certainly less able. Why would you even attempt to attack us when your leader is the only one who can fight?"

"For money?" It seemed obvious to Mito, greed could motivate all sort of behaviour. There was a briefest hint of a smile on Tobirama's face before he turned away to hide it.

"Yes, that'd do it. I think they are less of them, but the capable groups might be banding together for one final push before we reach Senju lands. It's no time to slack." Mito liked it when he talked with her like this, as an equal instead of a burden. She'd proved herself more than capable of fighting alongside him, and their fighting styles were adapting to each other. They turned their backs on their one defeated opponent and started walking again without either of them needing to suggest it. 

"It isn't." Mito's eyes drifted up to the few clouds above them in the sky, just visible above the crowns of the trees. "Interesting to see it in action, even if you didn't need to use it on them." Seals to teleport the user instantly, or at least, they should be able to. It didn't work consistently, the seals didn't always work, stick like they should, or stay strong enough to teleport to. 

"It still needs work." They'd been discussing it ever since the night she started teaching him her sealing jutsu. It was so radically different from any sealing jutsu she'd seen before, that she wasn't sure if it could ever work. It was highly ambitious to even try such a thing. Despite her confusion over the feelings stirring in her, getting stronger ever since that night when he'd all but held her, she was certain about the fire the jutsu set in her. She wanted him to succeed, wanted to refine the jutsu even if she'd never be fast enough to use it herself. It was the kind of challenge she loved.

"We should test more combinations for the seal itself. There must be one that's more reliable, maybe some of the scrolls in the wagon will help. I think my mother put some challenging ones in for me." Mito flicked through the seals she knew in her head, none of them came up as a candidate as they were. Stable, fast to cast, effective, lost-lasting and ideally small too. A difficult criteria for one seal alone to meet. "After we arrive, we can try some of the ones I know out. Being self-taught might help you, you see it differently from someone taught in the traditional ways."

"After we arrive?" The surprise in his voice was funny, like he suddenly expected her to stop after they married. Of course not, she didn't see why it would. 

"After the wedding, of course. Unless you don't want my input after that?" Mito looked back to him with a smile, teasing him. 

"No, I'd be honoured if you continued. You've already done a lot. I try to get Hashirama to help me, but it's impossible." Tobirama sighed heavily. "He's a natural at jutsu, that's part of the problem. He never thinks about the reasons why something worked or didn't, just that it didn't." Tobirama had been talking more about his brother recently, and for all his complaints, Mito could see the deep love he held for Hashirama under it. Two surviving brothers out of what had been four, it wasn't surprising that they were so close. 

"He does sound more impulsive than you. From what you've said, he sounds like he acts more from the heart than from the head." The contrast between them struck her as funny, but they could work well together, balancing each other out. 

"He is, but it's more than that. He needs to respect himself more too. I think it's part of why he doesn't think about it. If it's something he can do, it's not that impressive. It's impossible to get him to describe how he does mokuton, it 'just kind of happens' when he gathers those natures in his hands." Tobirama met her eyes again, and smiled, a little sadly this time. "I really think you could help him with that." It seemed strange that he was so concerned about her teaching his brother, but she wouldn't say no to it, even if it sounded like Hashirama's powers were too far from her own.

"I'll try my best. If he's as good as you are at nature transformations, though, I'm not sure what I'll be able to do." Tobirama looked forward, and didn't meet her eyes. 

"I'm sure you'll find a way. Your determination is much stronger than any obstacle." Mito blinked at the compliment, and couldn't help the smile that then spread on her face. High praise indeed, from someone who'd considered her determination a nuisance at first. 

"Thank you." Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and while Tobirama's glance at them was a little embarrassing, she didn't try to hide her feelings. They were getting married, after all. Perhaps it wasn't so foolish to think there could be some tenderness in their marriage, maybe not the love she was starting to feel returned, but more than just duty alone. 

* * *

The inn was the first sign that they'd arrived. At first Mito hadn't noticed anything special about it, it was such a small place, but Tobirama had stopped dead at the sight of it. After the rush to get here, the final push and the skirmishes they'd had with those kidnappers determined to try to get them before they arrive in safe territory, it'd need to be something special to get Tobirama to stop. 

"Tobirama?" 

"We're here." Tobirama gestured at the inn. "We're on Senju land now, this inn is right on the border." Mito looked at the inn, spotted the emblem of the Senju on the sign of the inn. They were finally here? Mito felt relief at their dangerous journey being over, and sadness that after today, it would no longer just be the both of them. From here they'd be racing on, going ahead to meet the rest of the Senju clan. She'd have to start thinking about more than just the day ahead, the next battle, the next night under the stars, and start learning to fit into her new home. 

"We'll stop here for tonight." 

"Really?" After their last disastrous stop, she expected Tobirama to want to keep going. Was it to give them one last night together, just the two of them, before life got in the way?

"It'll give us a chance to clean up and rest before you meet the family. I'll send my brother a message to let him know to expect us tomorrow." Oh. That was much more sensible than her thoughts, but it would be better if she could arrive in a fresh, clean state to make a good first impression. She looked down at her clothes, worn and dirty from the road, and imagined arriving in them. She'd tried her best to keep clean and tidy, but a chance to wash and change into the new kimono she'd packed specially for her arrival would be a god-send. 

"Thank you. I'd really rather not meet your family looking like this." She gestured at her clothes. 

"It's not that bad. I've shown up looking worse." Mito had no doubt that he had after a particular fierce battle, but it wasn't as reassuring as Tobirama clearly thought it was.

"You're their son though. I'm new to them. They'd wonder what you did with the expensive bride you were supposed to bring with you. Where exactly did you acquire this scruffy looking woman?" 

"I think you look beautiful now too." She hadn't expected a sincere response to her joke, maybe a wry smile at best to it. Tobirama went ahead before she could capture a glimpse of his face, leaving her to follow him into the inn with yet another blush on her cheeks. 

This time Tobirama didn't demand to share a room with her. No need to this time, safely back in his homeland. It was the correct, proper thing to do, and yet Mito wished they were. Soon they'd be sharing a room every night, she could wait, but she knew she would miss him again. Tobirama walked her to her room, once the inn-keeper finished her introductions, and they paused outside it. It felt like that stay at the cousin's house, with the difference that they were alone this time. 

"Any secret passages here?" The events were far enough behind them that she felt she could joke about it, and the wry smile Tobirama made in response said she'd judged it right.

"No. I think this host is much more trustworthy." Tobirama leaned over to slide the door open, brushed against her arm as he did. Mito felt the touch as directly as if he'd grabbed her, and kicked off her sandals quickly to step forward into the room to hide it. 

"Although she might also have more ninjas on the staff, hmm?" Tobirama took off his sandals in less haste than she had, followed her into the room. It was a lot smaller than her last one, more worn but still well cared for. Mito preferred it, it felt safe. 

"I'd strongly advise against testing it, she's more than capable enough on her own." Was that a joke? She glanced over to check, a raised eyebrow suggested it was, before it dropped, back to business. "I must contact the Tanaka family when we return. Their daughter's wasted being a maid to that family." 

"I'm surprised she was so eager to help you. I thought she would have been worried about her master finding out." Mito settled down at the table, wondered if Tobirama would join her. She hoped he would, she enjoyed talking with him. He turned out to have far more, and better, words than she'd expected at first. 

"One thing I've learnt is how ignored the small clans are. All the warring nations escalate straight to the biggest clan they can afford, and the small ones survive hand to mouth. So much wasted talent. It's always worth reaching out to them, I've rarely been disappointed." Tobirama moved as he spoke towards the table, she could see he was about to sit down before catching himself, deciding against it. 

"I've not met any before. If someone called us in, usually it's already out of the hands of smaller clans." Mito considered it. It seemed risky, to rely on outsiders for help, but that night had demonstrated the weakness of relying on clan ties, too. "Oh, there was this one. Hatake? It was complicated, we were the final clan they called on in that war. Still, it's risky relying on outsiders. But clan ties aren't always reliable either." Mito sighed and Tobirama nodded. 

"It gets complicated. It's seen as a sign of weakness too, so I have to be careful. Anyway, enough politics. I should let you get changed." Mito would have been content to keep talking about politics, found it useful to talk about the force that had brought her to the Senju and would continue to shape her life there. She'd been raised in the knowledge that the clan she married into would be buying her influence too. She needed to play it well. Tobirama was thoughtful and sensible on the subject, willing to consider different ways, and took her seriously too. A good sign for their union. 

"I guess so." 

"Then, I will leave you." With a bow, Tobirama departed the room, and Mito flopped back onto the tatami as soon as the door slid shut. So many weights on her head, so many interests to serve in her marriage. Even with Tobirama's help, Mito wondered how she'd manage it. She thought of his words. 'Your determination is much stronger than any obstacle.' It made her stomach flutter, but she hoped she could live up to them.

* * *

"Looking forward to your arrival?" The inn-keeper, no, Etsuko, as she'd told Mito to call her, asked as she started to set up her table for her meal. Freshly bathed and in a clean yukata, Mito was ready to eat.

"Yes. I'm a little nervous though." Mito felt the reception would be warm, thanks to the ties that bound their clans together, and her time with Tobirama made her feel that she could fit in. But that uncertainty was still there, of all the duties and service marriage would involve. 

"That's only natural. Every woman gets nervous when she arrives at her new home." There was a pause as Etsuko frowned at the dishes, before going back to her tray. It felt like a good time to ask the question, one that she needed to know, as a stranger joining the family. In her job, Etsuko probably heard lots of useful things. She would ask her, woman to woman. Ninja to ninja.

"Who should I watch out for?" Etsuko gave her a look over, considering what she meant, before going back to her dishes. 

"Hashirama is determined to change things, to work more closely with other clans. Be wary of those who talk of the old Senju values that he's changing – they're not your friends. The Uzumaki clan might be our cousins, but to them, they're still outsiders. If you're not sure of someone, ask Tobirama. His judgement is excellent. Hashirama believes the best of everyone, it's his strength and weakness. Tobirama doesn't, but his loyalty to his brother is unbreakable. Say little in public and don't get involved in the disputes of others. When it comes to you to play your role, you'll want to have your options as open as possible." Etsuko finished plating up the fish, and smiled at Mito. "That's just my view. I'm an old lady who hopes for the best for those brothers, no more, no less." 

"No, that's very helpful. Thank you." Mito had hoped for such a chance, to ask a woman who would know things that wouldn't reach Tobirama's ears. 

"If you need help, call on me. I hope you won't need to, but I'll be here." She didn't need to offer, and the kindness of it touched Mito. It made her smile back. 

"Thank you. I'll remember your kindness." Etsuko nodded and got up from the table. 

"Of course. I hope someone would do the same for my granddaughter. I'll leave you to wait for Tobirama." 

"Tobirama?" Mito took a second look at the table, realised it'd been set for two and not just for herself. 

"He told me he'd come join you. Please enjoy your meal." Etsuko left the room, leaving Mito to wait for Tobirama with anticipation. She'd expected to eat alone again, like she had last time, with only her thoughts for company. The minutes seem to stretch out, much longer than they were, before she heard the light footsteps in the hallway. She knew those footsteps well, they made her smile even before the door opened and she saw Tobirama. 

He paused on the threshold, as if he was stunned to see her. It made her smile even wider, the joy at seeing him leaking out of her. Mito couldn't help it. It struck her too, looking at him in his fresh yukata, clean and looking relaxed like he hadn't in their travels, that just his arrival in a room could make her happy. 

"I'm sorry I'm late." 

"No, you're just in time. Come in." Tobirama came in, slippers left carefully by the door and joined her at the table. Despite the silence, he sat with his legs crossed, not sitting in seiza. The informality was unexpected but Mito went with it, untucked her legs and relaxed as they served themselves. 

Tobirama was quiet again as they ate, visibly distracted. Thinking about the wedding? Mito was thinking about it too, less worried than she'd been earlier now they were together again. They had already been through enough that she wasn't marrying a stranger, even if she was still learning about him. 

"I'm looking forward to meeting the family." 

"They'll like you. Even if you're more reserved than people would expect from your clan." 

"Good or bad?" Tobirama paused with his chopsticks, thought about it before picking up the fish. 

"Good. To me, anyway. The Uzumaki are very...overwhelming." Mito laughed, knowing what he meant. Not every Uzumaki was boisterous, but it was a strong family trait. 

"You were only there a few days! They were even being calmer than usual to be polite." Tobirama shook his head.

"You must be exaggerating."

"I am not. You should see them at festivals." The words brought memories back, of being hauled around at festivals by her older siblings and cousins. The noise, the lights, the food, the fireworks once the sun went down. The way they'd pinch each other while praying at the shrine, determined to annoy each other. The fox mask she managed to win and wore all the way home. Warm, happy memories, only spoilt by remembering she'd likely never see any of them again. 

"You miss them?" The question was gentle, pushing her back out of her memories. 

"Yes. I knew I was going to leave one day, but I won't ever see them again." She knew it was expected of her to go, but leaving her family still hurt. It was a pain that she'd have to stomach, like they all did. It was foolish to complain about it, and Tobirama would be practical about it, as he should be. 

"You might." It wasn't the practical response she expected, a response that made her stare at him in surprise. Tobirama picked up some rice, then looked up and met her eyes. He looked serious, but a brief smile flit across his face. "They're our honoured cousins, part of the reason you're marrying into us to reinforce those family ties. It's hard to do that if you never see them again." 

"Usually women don't get to travel back home." Tobirama raised his eyebrows.

"Why not? You could probably do it alone once you've fought in a few more battles. You might have to, if we can't spare a guard but we need you to go." 

"No guard of honour?" This time her tone was lighter, none of the judgement when he'd shown up at her home by himself. 

"I think they would just slow you down." Mito made a soft hum in response, as if she was considering if it was an insult to her honour. Not really. It was Tobirama putting her on the same level as himself, just like she wanted. Once she was sure he wasn't watching, she looked up from her food again to watch him. If Tobirama noticed, he didn't show it. The only times she'd seen him more relaxed was when he was sleeping. Her eyes ran over the curve of his jaw, lingered on the red markings on his face, before reaching his eyes. At that point, they met hers and he looked amused.

"Is anything wrong?"

"No, nothing." No, it felt like how things should be. Just the two of them, peacefully eating dinner together. 

* * *

It was late. Mito didn't want Tobirama to go, even after lighting the candles once the sun went down. The next day would be the start of the rest of their life together, but she wanted to savour this night. It was Tobirama who finally brought himself up to his feet to leave, hours after their dinner was done. She rose with him, on instinct, as if to follow him. When she realised she was staying, that there was nowhere for her she needed to go, she stayed on her feet anyway. It'd be even stranger to sit back down again. 

"I'll leave you now. Good night." Despite his words, Tobirama didn't turn to leave. He stayed where he was, looking at her. The candlelight flickered against his face, more fuzzy than the clear light thrown by the fires in the woods. Mito's heart ached. She didn't want him to leave. Slowly, his hand moved to her and took it, holding it gently in his own. It wasn't like when they were training, when she was demonstrating her chakra technique. There was no goal, no aim to it. Tobirama just wanted to hold it. The thought made Mito feel overwhelmed. When she met his eyes, he looked away but in the candlelight, she could see it. There was so much on his face, too much for her to read, be certain of. Amazing how she once thought he only had one expression. The words that he finally forced out came slowly, as if they were hard to say.

"Mito. I hope you'll be happy in this marriage." 

"I think I will be." Her words weren't received like she expected. Tobirama turned his face away from her, trying to compose himself. Did he not understand her feelings? Did he think she was just trying to make the best of a bad situation? 

"I'll do my best. Good night." He let go of her hand, turned away from her quickly and left the room before she could try to explain. Mito knew how fast he was, she couldn't have caught him even if she had tried. 

"Good night." It was to the empty room she said good night, not to him. She took a step towards the door, then stopped. She hadn't seen Tobirama like that before, so conflicted. Mito wanted to go to him, but she could hear in her head how he'd rebuff her if she did. He would tell her he was fine, that he just needed to be alone. If she pushed tonight, she'd make it worse. Tobirama needed time to gather himself, after a rare crack in his composure. Tomorrow, Mito would talk to him. She would make it right. 

* * *

Mito miscalculated. All her feverish planning during the night relied on there being enough time between waking up and arriving in the village for them to talk. She should have known better, but when Tobirama woke her up at dawn to tell her they were going, she saw her opportunity slip out of her fingers. 

Tobirama was in a hurry. He wanted to get home as fast as possible, only paused when Mito asked. Her new kimono was designed for banquets, for impressing strangers with its many layers. It was not designed for tearing through forests at high speed. She shook the dust out of the layers of cloth as Tobirama waited, impatient. The quiet intensity of the previous night was gone. Tobirama was only following his goal to get her to the Senju as quickly as possible again. 

"Are you ready?" She lifted the layers of her kimono, only to find yet more soil dropping off it. Her heart sank. It felt like it was all going wrong when she'd hoped so hard it would be a success.

"I'm sorry, it's just this kimono." It was only a kimono, even if a formal one with more layers than she'd usually wear. It wasn't something to get upset by. The dirt would clean off, she'd get a chance to tidy up before she was presented to the clan. Despite that, she felt herself on the edge of tears. She heard Tobirama sigh, expected to be told to hurry up. Instead he came closer, took the edge of the cloth into his hands and shook it. The earth flew off, and his hands moved to the next layer, and the next, until he'd shaken it all off. The layers bunched together in his hand, low down enough to only lift the hem slightly, careful to preserve her modesty, before he carefully handed the layers back to her. 

"Lift it while you walk. It'll be easier." He turned away but when they started walking, the pace was slower, enough to stop her dragging any more dirt onto her kimono. Not slow enough to talk, but it was enough to ease the pressure, take the edge off her feelings. 

The music reached them before the village came into sight. The drums pounded and Mito felt suddenly felt faint, realising that all the noise was just for her. She wobbled slightly, took a deep breath and straightened up. She could do this. She was strong enough, she knew how to speak, the right words to say when she was introduced to the family. 

"Mito?" She heard the concern in his words, took strength from it. She was prepared. She'd never be any more ready to step into her new life. 

"I'm ready. Let's go and meet them." Their progress was slower, Tobirama staying beside her instead of going ahead like he had that morning. It reassured her that the strangeness between them this morning wasn't permanent. They could talk about it later in private, clear up any confusion and make it right.

The noise grew as the path they walked winded its way into the village. Small children spotted them, shrieked in excitement and ran ahead. Their advance guard. She wanted to look around, take in the place where Tobirama was raised, but there was too much going on. The few buildings she could see were quickly lost among the growing mass of people surrounding them. So many strangers, eager to see her and to see Tobirama back home. She kept looking forward, even when Tobirama put his hand on her arm, held onto her to not lose her in the growing crowd. Too busy for her to focus on anything but her next step, make sure she didn't tread on someone's clothes or feet, on a child, a dog that'd come to investigate the excitement. 

The hall appeared in front of them, the crowd split away from them, gave them the space to walk and there he was. Hashirama. She recognised him straight away from how Tobirama described him, even if his smile as he spotted them was bigger than she would have guessed. He was dressed formally, befitting his status, but he waved at Tobirama like a small boy. Mito thought he was handsome, no doubt about it, but as she dared to glance at Tobirama next to her, he wasn't Tobirama. 

The music stopped when they reached Hashirama. His smile grew even wider as Tobirama let go of her arm, and the two of them bowed to him. 

"Welcome, welcome! Tobirama, it's great to see you back safely." 

"Of course. I should introduce you. This is Uzumaki Mito." Mito bowed again, even if Hashirama didn't seem the formal type. It was important to make a good first impression. 

"Please look after me." 

"Uzumaki Mito, this is Senju Hashirama." This time Hashirama bowed to her, respectful, returned her wish to be looked after by her, but his eyes went back to his brother as he straightened up.

"What do you think?"

"Of Mito? She's an incredibly talented ninja, with further training she'll be a fearsome warrior in her own right. It won't take long with her intelligence. She does her famous clan proud." Mito flushed from the praise, from hearing Tobirama describe her so positively to someone he respected as much as Hashirama. She looked out of the corner of her eye at Tobirama, but he didn't meet her eyes. He didn't meet Hashirama's either, staring ahead as if he was somewhere else. "Mito is more reserved than most Uzumakis, but she does have their stubbornness. She's kind as well. She won't let her husband run himself into the ground." 

"Ah, I see. But aren't you missing something?" Tobirama sighed in response to the teasing.

"You're not blind, brother, you can see it." Oh. Her looks. She blushed even more, appreciated Tobirama's tact in not saying it out loud. "In short, I don't think you could have a better wife, Hashirama. I think you will both be happy together, and I wish you both the best."

Mito felt her world lurch on its axis and her stomach drop to her feet. No. No, no, no. She wasn't marrying Hashirama, she was marrying Tobirama! Why was he saying that? But her heart sank as her mind raced, trying to remember what they'd said to her. Her parents' words were suddenly vague. A Senju brother, no specification of which one. But hadn't Tobirama said, surely he must have said something?

Oh. It hit her with a force that made her breathless. Tobirama never said they were getting married. Not a single word had passed his lips that said that they were. She had made an assumption and it was completely wrong. It was why he kept telling her about Hashirama, it was more than just respect for him. He was preparing her to meet her husband. It was why he apologised for his brother not being with him when they'd met, because Hashirama was the one she was marrying. Why he was surprised when she said they should keep training together once she was married. 

Why he'd been so conflicted last night. 

A hand on her arm. Not Tobirama this time, a different hand. Different chakra resting under his palms. 

"I'll leave you both now." His voice cut through her confusion. Calm, collected, as if her world hadn't just split apart. Tobirama bowed again before turning away, walking away from them. Walking away from her. She wanted to call to him to stop but he was gone.

The hand guided her along, made her walk in her daze, too overwhelmed to notice what was happening to her. She heard vague words, 'meeting the family', but she couldn't make them out as Hashirama gently led her towards the hall. Her head turned to look back, and she saw him.

He hadn't left. Tobirama was watching her go. Their eyes met. She saw the pain in his eyes, louder than any expression she'd ever seen in them before, before he spun on his heel and walked away for real this time.

* * *

The tea was ready. Mito put aside the papers, picked up the cup and cradled it in her hands. For months she had worked on what was outstanding, the things Hashirama had that didn't pass straight to the new Hokage. It seemed like every day brought something new, something she never would have guessed. Yesterday it was a messenger returned from a long-delayed mission that only he knew about it. Even his guards were at a loss at it. Hashirama had more secrets than she'd ever guessed, and it felt like none of them died with him like they said they did. Quite the opposite, they all came back to her. 

Hashirama wasn't a stranger, but as Mito sipped her tea, she thought that sometimes it felt like he was. Sometimes she could work out the logic of what he'd been doing, trying to reach out to the smaller clans subtly, encouraging them to join Konoha without them losing face. Sometimes it was so obvious it hurt her to read it, every report he received on where Madara was now. Right until the end, even after the end, Hashirama believed that Madara would change his mind one day. That one day he'd return to their village, the village they had founded together, that for a while they had called their home, together. Poor Hashirama. There must have been a time when they were happy, long ago, but Madara caused him nothing but heartache from the moment he was appointed Hokage until the day he died. 

There were other times though, when it was a complete mystery. Even Tobirama looked at them, from the other side of her table after a long day, dropping in to check on the widow, and was at a loss. 

The knock on the door made her look up from her tea. Some other problem for her to try to fix? At least she wasn't in Tobirama's position. She stopped that thought there. 

"Come in." The ninja at the door stepped in, bowed deeply. 

"A group of travellers from Uzushio have arrived to see you, my lady." 

"Thank you. Bring them in, please." Mito finished her drink, eased herself up from the table to meet them. Anyone who travelled from the village which her clan helped form was someone she would make time for. The ties had widen since she had married, from the clans to whole villages, but it was just as important to maintain them. Konoha needed Uzushio as much as the Senju needed the Uzumaki. There was the hope there would be someone she recognised, a family member she hadn't seen in years. Despite Hashirama agreeing, there had never been time to return, and now with Konoha to help and the beast sealed inside her, she didn't think she could. 

The travellers entered. Mito looked to see if she recognised them, but despite the red hair of several of them, none of them looked familiar. Pushing down her disappointment, she greeted them.

"Welcome. Thank you for coming all this way to see me." The leader stepped forward, another redhead, bowed before introducing his comrades. Some Uzumakis, other clans that she didn't know, all of them with good manners. Their leader introduced himself last. 

"I'm Uzumaki Hiromasa." She recognised the name immediately, even if the face attached to it had changed so much. He had been a baby the last time she'd seen him, sitting on his mother's knee on a rare visit home by her oldest sister. 

"My oldest sister's son. I didn't recognise you, you've grown a lot since then! You look well." 

"Thank you. Can I start by offering our condolences on the death of the First? We were all deeply saddened by the loss. He was a giant among men and a great friend to us." Mito knew the form, every time she met someone she hadn't seen since he died or someone new. She graciously accepted it, the duty of the widow of a great man. 

Then onto the heart of the matter. Affairs to discuss, advice on how to resolve issues coming up in the founding of their new village, following in Konoha's footsteps. Even a question on marriage for her as an Uzumaki elder, a question that she politely demurred. Mito didn't feel old enough to be an elder, or wise enough to offer anything useful. For all the success of her own marriage, it was an arranged, political marriage till its end. She cared for Hashirama, and in turn, he was a kind, dutiful husband who respected her, but there was never romantic love between them. Both of their hearts were elsewhere when they married, and never came back. How could she advise others on marriage? They had a choice, after all. She never had a choice. She just did as her duty required. The questions ended, and Hiromasa looked at the rest of his team. 

"I need to be alone for this part. Sorry, it's an Uzumaki matter." Some of the other Uzumakis look put out to be left out if it was, even if the others were happy to leave and be left out of whatever family problem was about to be aired out. 

"You're all invited to dine tonight with the-" Mito stopped herself. It felt so natural to offer that she had forgot that she couldn't promise that they'd dine with the Hokage and her any more. "You're all invited to dine with me tonight." It was still an honour, but not on the same par. It salved the stinging pride of the left out Uzumakis, and Hiromasa let out a sigh of relief when they left.

"Thank you, auntie."

"Really, you could have handled that better. You know family members hate feeling left out of anything interesting. You should have said it was something boring." Her chiding was gentle, but it made Hiromasa cringe with embarrassment. 

"I know, I just panicked...sorry. Thank you for inviting us to dinner." Hiromasa took off his pack and pulled papers out of it. Mito hoped this wasn't another surprise Hashirama had left for her as he handed it to her. "I don't know how much you know about your marriage contract, so I brought this copy with me."

"It was arranged on my behalf, I didn't know much about it beyond how much and who it was to." Although, she even managed to get that little wrong, a thought that still hurt all these years later. She looked closely at the characters to distract herself, took the contract over to the window for the light and so Hiromasa couldn't see her face. 

The first few clauses were standard, the kind of thing she read in other marriage contracts she'd been involved in for the Senju. The sixth clause was different, written in a different hand from the preceding clauses. 

_If Senju Hashirama does die before Uzumaki Mito, and his younger brother Senju Tobirama is alive and unmarried, Senju Tobirama will marry Uzumaki Mito. This applies even after Senju Hashirama marries Uzumaki Mito._ There was a note next to the clause, written in a different colour ink. She knew that handwriting, even before seeing the signature next to it.

_Agreed. Senju Tobirama._

The paper shook in her hands as she bowed her head. She had no idea it had been agreed, until now it'd never been needed. But there it was. Hashirama was dead, and Tobirama was contracted to now marry her. Just like she thought when she filled with girlish hopes for her marriage after falling in love with Tobirama. The agony of her actual wedding ceremony, going through every step knowing that Tobirama was watching it, when she wanted it to be him instead.

No chance. She glanced at the top of the contract, saw the line she had known about there. _The Uzumaki agree to marry Uzumaki Mito into the Senju, on the payment of this bride price and on the basis she marries Senju Hashirama, the eldest son of the clan, only._ If it'd been for Tobirama, they might have not even offered a bride price to him. Eldest sons only for an exceptional daughter. She reread the clause, trying to get it to sink in. 

She still loved Tobirama. Even the distance they carefully maintained between each other throughout her marriage hadn't changed that. She was almost certain that he loved her, at least when she was first married. He vanished after the wedding, spent months travelling on a mysterious mission nobody knew about. When Tobirama returned, the distance had grown between them, a distance they knew they couldn't breach. She helped him with his seals, he finally taught her to make shadow clones, and she assisted him with everything she could, but it wasn't enough. They were still further apart than she wanted, if sometimes closer than was wise for her heart. Perhaps it was just her who felt it now, who was still in love with Tobirama. Maybe he wasn't in love with her any more, had met someone else, discreetly, and was happy with them. She hoped he hadn't. She hoped he had. Mito only wanted him to be happy.

"While the Senju don't exist as they did back then, they still live and have their obligations. For Konoha, where the Senju are the primary clan," poor Hashirama, Mito thought. How he would hate to hear it referred to as that, after all the work he'd done to make it for the Uchiha and every other clan too. "A breach of the contract would reflect poorly on the village too. The Uzumaki will not accept the clause being breached. That's why the elders sent me to talk to you." Mito couldn't disagree, but Hiromasa took her silence to mean she needed convincing. "I'm sorry auntie. I know I'm being severe, please forgive me, but I'm speaking on behalf of the clan. The world has changed, but your parents put that clause in for a reason. They wanted to make sure your position was secured even after Hashirama died. For now, you're respected as his widow, but what about in five years? Or ten?"

It was all true, but Mito couldn't answer it. She wasn't the one who'd have to answer it. It was Tobirama. 

"I must talk to Tobirama – the Second before I can give you an answer. Let's discuss it later. Thank you for bringing it to my attention, Hiromasa. I understand you are all looking out for me as well as for the clan." They did it out of love for her, as well as for their own interests. She understood. But a marriage to the one she loved most if he didn't want to marry her, didn't love her any more would be too painful to contemplate. She had to talk to Tobirama. 

* * *

"Enter." Mito took a deep breath, prepared herself and entered. 

It was the first time she'd entered the Hokage's office since Tobirama had been selected as the Second. Already it was different, changed from the familiar space she'd known. Tobirama had reorganised the filing to a more logical, tidier system. The furniture had been moved, items added and removed. The last gift that Madara had given Hashirama, a small stone carving, left in a discrete but important spot on the desk throughout Hashirama's reign was gone. She imagined Tobirama disposing of it immediately, he knew exactly what its provenance was. She could even see him smashing it in a rare display of anger, despite how precious it had been to his brother. Too close to Madara to be spared. He never approved of their relationship, had argued for Madara to be hunted down when he abandoned the village. It wasn't just the history between them, the fact he was a Uchiha and a rogue one that was a threat to the village as well. Hashirama never got it, but she did. Tobirama hated him for hurting his brother, and breaking Hashirama's heart too. His departure from the village, that final battle, hurt both of the brothers in different ways, and Mito was left changed too. Nothing was the same afterwards.

The tailed beast inside her stirred at the thought of itself. She pulled harder on the chains, restrained it, before focusing again on the reason she was here.

There were different assistants waiting on the Hokage, for the next message to deliver, the next report to be filed. A different man in the chair. Focused on finishing what he was doing, when Hashirama would have looked up as soon as she entered the room, eager to see who it was. 

Tobirama finally looked up from his work, and put his pen down. His attention focused on her, so intent that it made her nervous. She considered the words she'd thought of earlier, but they seemed lacking in the circumstances. 

"I need to talk to you." That was enough. Tobirama didn't ask any questions, dismissed the assistants from the room without querying if it was urgent. Maybe it was the look on her face, she hadn't been so emotional when approaching him in years. Maybe it was because of who she was. 

"Please, sit down." Mito looked at the chair, imagined herself face to face in it with Tobirama in the Hokage seat. She couldn't do it, couldn't sit there and wait for him, look at him while he read the contract. It would shred her.

"Thank you, but I'd rather stand. Here." She approached to hand him the contract, didn't answer the question on his face raised by her unusual response. Instead she walked over to the window, and looked out at Konoha to distract herself from her nerves. The village fanned out below, the product of such hard work. They had given so much to create this village, against such unlikely odds. There was still so much to do, new problems caused by its growth, new challenges from the new rival villages and half the village was still under construction. Still, she could finally see it. Not long just Hashirama's hopes and dreams, of a way of ending the endless wars, of drawing clans together in peace instead of in war. An actual, living village, filled with other hopes and dreams. She heard them aired out loud every day, from passing families in the street, friends together, children playing. They ranged from becoming Hokage to having extra rice at dinner. None of them, after what she'd seen achieved, seemed impossible. 

"This is your marriage contract." Mito didn't look away from the window, looked at the children running down a street. Uchihas? They looked like them, the dark hair and eyes, and they were with other children, one of which she recognised as a Senju. The sight was bittersweet. Hashirama's dream achieved, without him there to see it. 

"Yes, it is." The silence grew. "Do you know what the sixth clause says?"

"Yes, your parents added it to the contract in front of me. I had to sign to confirm it. Ah, is this what the party from Uzushio came to discuss with you?" Of course he knew that, and that the travellers had seen her. Even before he was Hokage, it wouldn't have got past him unnoticed. It was an easy question for her to answer, but despite the years of practice, of how often they spoke to each other of politics, of sealing, of everything else, she still found it hard to get it out. It was easier to talk about practical things instead of the heart.

A sigh behind her, as she heard the creak of the chair, before Tobirama appeared next to her at the window. She didn't look at him, and the children in the street were gone. Back to their homes, to their families, to the ones they loved. Here she was, standing next to the one she loved with so much to say, but no place to start. 

"Did you come to ask me if I was going to honour my contract? If so, yes, I will. I promised." Obligation. Mito couldn't marry out of obligation again, not to him. Her heart couldn't take it, to marry Tobirama and not be loved by him, to become his widow someday if he didn't love her. 

"I can waver it. The circumstances have changed. I'm not the bride Hashirama married, and you're the leader of a village now, not a clan. I don't want to force you to keep a promise you shouldn't be bound by any longer." She glanced down at her stomach without thinking, as if to remind him what had changed. The tailed beast inside her, its incredible power. Its incredible hatred. Mito had sealed it away, had stopped its hatred but the fact remained. She was not the same Mito he had brought to his clan so long ago, and the tailed beast was part of that change. 

"When the war started, Hashirama took me aside before we left. He told me that if anything happened to him, I was to look after you. I said 'of course'. He didn't like that." Tobirama sighed again, and this time Mito looked to him. He looked tired, and sad. It wasn't the first time she'd seen his grief for Hashirama, but it was the first time she was this close to see it. Tobirama met her eyes, forced a smile and looked back over Konoha. 

"He didn't mean it out of obligation, the kind of looking after I'd do for any widow of my brothers. 'I meant the two of you together', he said. 'I know you love her, and that she loves you, as much as you both hide it.'" Mito inhaled sharply, didn't realise that Hashirama had noticed. She had never said a word, it wouldn't have been fair. It was his brother, not some stranger to him. "His exact words were 'I'm not an idiot, though you two are. I wish one of you told me before the wedding, I would have switched with you.'" 

"But the contract-"

"I know, Mito, I know. I said it too. He said he would have made the Uzumaki accept, though god knows how he would have." It sounded just like Hashirama, refusing to accept anything as impossible if he believed in it enough. It made her miss him, a sharp pain, unable to believe he was gone. She shut her eyes, tried to hold back the tears she could feel forming. "He said I needed to hear it, so he said it. 'Please be happy with her if the worst happens. Don't let guilt stop you.'" The tears leaked out of her eyes, even as she tried to hold back. All that time, and Hashirama knew, wanted the best for both of them. The pain of all those years apart, of loving Tobirama from a distance. 

"Honestly, that idiot. He'd completely forgotten about that clause too." His hand on her arm made her open her eyes, blurry from the tears. "But he was right. I still love you. I only grew to love you even more as you blossomed here. Please don't think that time stopped me from loving you, or the sacrifice you made by sealing the beast inside you did either. Mito, if you want to be free of the contract, just say the word." 

"No. I love you, Tobirama." Finally the words came out, later than she'd ever wanted but they were finally there. His hand gently pulled her to face him, to come closer. She turned and pressed herself against his chest as he held her. His arms tight around her, like she wanted for so long, as her arms circled around his waist and held onto him. His heartbeat against her ear as she rested her head on his chest. The press of a kiss to the top of her head.

"Thank you." She heard the deep breath he took against her hair, felt its tickle, before he continued. "I never wanted to marry, I always thought it was just a distraction until I met you. Then you were the only one I wanted. So, now I can, I want to spend the rest of my life with you." The thought made her head spin, that he felt so deeply and could share it with her. Calm, controlled Tobirama, an analytical master, in love with her. 

"I thought I was going to marry you." The confession came out as half laughter, half tears against the fabric of his shirt. Another kiss against her hair in reply. 

"I only realised when you looked back at me as Hashirama took you away. I thought before it was just how you were, that it was wishful thinking on my part." The realisation made Mito laugh, despite herself. Oh, it was so like him to have somehow remained oblivious, right until that final moment. 

"I should have told you that night." 

"It doesn't matter. We're together now." There it was, even now. That sensible, pragmatic thinking of his that she'd grown to love. It made Mito smile, lift her head up from against his chest. Tobirama met her eyes, and smiled. A deeper, more sincere smile than any other she'd seen on his face. 

She leaned in and kissed him, like she should have before. On the morning of her wedding, with her kimono in his hands. The night before at the inn. While working on the Flying Thunder God jutsu together. When her arms were around him, teaching him how her chakra worked. The night when she first got him to sleep while she guarded him. After their escape, on top of the wall together, certain of their escape. At that traitorous cousin's house, when he told her to call on him. Every night together in the woods, after every argument. The morning she first formally met him, in front of her parents' house. In short, every moment since she first set eyes on him in that old Uzumaki hall, so long ago, and took up the challenge she saw on his face.

Behind them, beyond the glass, Konoha bloomed.


End file.
